Chapter 7

See? told you guys I'd update at a faster rate. ;D

Padmé Naberrie went out of Anakin's hovel during sunrise, with the binary suns painting the sky with a bright orangish-red, mixing with the blue skies of the desert planet. Tatooine could be beautiful sometimes.

That was the teen's thoughts, as she walked to the pod-racer that was supposed to win the race and get them off-planet. A very young Anakin Skywalker was sleeping on the pod, as the droid, R2-D2 was painting the pod, along with the man who called himself Luke Vader.

"I hope you're finished." Padmé told the two, Vader and R2-D2 both turned to look at Padmé

"Almost done." Vader replied, as he painted two red marks on the hull of the pod.

The sounds of footsteps was heard, the three jerked their heads to see Anakin's friend, Kitster Banai, riding a creature, which Vader knew to be Eopies. There was a second epode behind the one being ridden by the child.

Padmé glanced at Anakin, who was still asleep, Vader glanced at Padmé, as the girl headed towards the young boy, and shook him slightly. Anakin woke up at that, and glanced at Padmé with half-tired blue eyes.

"You were in my dream… you were leading an huge army into battle." Those were the now-awake boy's first words of the day, Vader snorted.

"I hope not, I hate fighting." Padmé frowned, as the former Sith resisted the urge to laugh, then, Padmé told Anakin, "Your mother wants you to come in and clean up. We have to leave soon."

Anakin stretched a bit, and then stood just as the two eopies arrived along with Kitster, Anakin smiled as he saw his friend. Kitster smiled back.

"Hook 'em up, Kitster!" Anakin exclaimed, getting off the pod, as Kitster started to connect the pod to the Eopies in order to be transported. He turned to Padmé and replied to her earlier statement, "I won't be long, where's Qui-Gon?"

"He and Jar-Jar left already. They're with Watto at the arena." Padmé answered, as Anakin left.

Vader smiled, as he saw Anakin walk back into the hovel, he was happy here, without the influence of his Master Sidious, he felt a lot more happy, and trusting. Maybe freedom from his former-Master's bond with him was the reason he became so friendly with Qui-Gon and Padmé in the first place.

"Hopefully we can get off planet soon." Vader suddenly stated, as Padmé looked at the man who said that

"Me too, I hope Anakin can win, we need to get off Tatooine so Naboo can be retaken from the Trade Federation." Padmé passionately replied.

Vader smiled, bowing a bit and courteously saying, "I shall assist in doing that, your Majesty."

Padmé looked at Vader in shock, and asked, "You knew?"

"Yes, Queen Amidala. I am a Force-Sensitive, I immediately sensed that you were queen the moment I met you.", Vader kept himself in the bowing position

"Force-Sensitive? Does that mean Master Jinn knows?" Padmé asked, worried for her identity

Vader decided to explain a cover story, "No. The Force chooses what a person senses", that part was true, "And the Force chose me to sense that you were queen, Qui-Gon does not know."

Padmé smiled in relief, she wasn't ready to reveal that she was actually queen to the Jedi. Vader walked ahead, into the hovel, to go to where the Eopies were with Kitster and the Pod Racer. The secretly-Queen followed the Former Sith to the front of the house.

The main hangar of the Pod-Race arena was packed with racers, as Qui-Gon milled about, analysing Anakin's competition. He knew how to Pod-Race, the only reason the Jedi Master did not do it himself was because of a lack of practice.

And he had a good feeling about letting Anakin Skywalker race.

"I want to see your spaceship the moment the race is over." Watto stated, the Toydarian flying right beside Qui-Gon.

"Patience, my blue friend. You'll have your winnings before the suns set, and we'll be far away from here." The Jedi Master replied, calmly as possible

"Not if your ship belongs to me, I think… I warn you, no funny business." Watto scowled, as Qui-Gon raised an eyebrow questioningly

"You don't think Anakin will win?" He asked, half-confused

Watto stopped before an orange pod-racer, which, at one side, had Sebulba having his neck massaged by two blue Twi'lek, whom Qui-Gon knew were slaves, that was obvious anyway, at least to him.

But the pod seemed to have strong armour, and with strong armour, meant bad acceleration and possibly below-average grip while turning. Qui-Gon knew that from pod-racing with different pods back when he was younger.

But now, those days were over, and he didn't feel very much interested in piloting, let alone racing. He now preferred to learn more about the Living Force and staying by nature rather than piloting.

"Don't get me wrongo, I have great faith in the boy. He's a credit to your race, but Sebulba there is going to win, I think." Qui-Gon snapped back into reality when he heard that, and turned to the alien whom the heavily-accented voice belonged to.

"Why?" The Jedi Master asked, quickly going back into the conversation

"He always wins." Watto laughed at that, "I'm betting heavily on Sebulba"

Quickly, as if the Will of the Force itself, Qui-Gon exclaimed, "I'll take that bet!"

Watto stopped laughing at that, and looked at the Jedi shocked, "What? What do you mean?"

"I'll wager my new racing pod against… say… the boy and his mother." Qui-Gon clarified, as Watto frowned

"A pod for slaves", the Toydarian put his hand on chin, "I don't think so… well, perhaps. Just one… the mother, maybe. The boy isn't for sale."

"The boy is small, he can't be worth much!" Qui-Gon argued, but, even with that argument, Watto shook his head, "For the fastest pod ever built?", the human added in, seeing if that would work, he was getting worried, but Watto shook his head again, so Qui-Gon again added in: "Both, or no bet."

"No pod is worth two slaves… not by a long-shot. One slave, or nothing!" Watto exclaimed

"The boy, then." Qui-Gon sighed

Watto pulled out a cubic object which had the colours red and blue on it. Qui-Gon looked at the cube, recognising it as a Chance Cube, used to determine the outcome of something through two colours. Usually used in bets, to see who would get what, just like this situation.

"We'll let fate decide. Blue, it's the boy, red his mother." Watto told Qui-Gon, who found the colour choices for the people oddly fitting.

Watto tossed the cube to the floor, like a dice. Qui-Gon, already knowing the outcome, lifted his hand up, just when the chance cube was supposed to land red, it flipped to blue. The tosser of the cube frowned at the outcome.

"You won the small toss, outlander, but you won't win the race, so it makes little difference!" Watto huffed

Just then, the eopies that carried Vader, Anakin and Padmé entered the hangar. The animals were pulling the two engines of the pod each. C-3PO was walking alongside, with R2-D2 rolling behind, pulling the pod itself with Shmi Skywalker sitting on it.

Watto trudged along, as he was leaving the hangar to go to the arena.

"Bonapa keesa pateeso, o wanna meetee chobodd" Watto laughed at Anakin, as he left while doing the same thing, laughing.

"What did he mean by that?" Anakin asked Qui-Gon, who looked at the boy thoughtfully

"I'll tell you later", the Jedi settled on to say.

It had been a small conversation between droids about Starships, Vader nodded his head at that. He was currently sitting on an Eopie with Anakin, as Padmé was sitting with Kitster on the other Eopie.

"This is so wizard! I'm sure you'll do it this time, Ani!" Kitster suddenly exclaimed, as Vader cracked a small smile

"Do what?" Padmé quizzically asked

"Finish the race, of course!" Kitster answered, happily

"You've never won a race?" Padmé asked Anakin, now a bit worried

"Well… not exactly…" Anakin tried to explain, but he was stopped when Padmé cut him off

She asked, "Not even finished?!"

Anakin sheepishly looked away, as Vader sensed the worry, concern and fear coming off Padmé, and the guilt that they may have made wrong choices.

"But Kitster's right, I will this time!" Anakin exclaimed

"Of course you will" Qui-Gon happily stated, patting Anakin on the shoulder

"I have great faith in you, boy." Vader told his younger self after that.

Padmé didn't look so believing at the claim that he would win this time. She actually was skeptical of the decision to make Anakin race for them, now that she knew that the boy never won, even finished a race.

She now knew that this needed to be stopped, before they lost the ship.

It was her responsibility as Queen of Naboo, that she protect the only mode of transportation they had.

Meanwhile, the Probe Droids of Sith Lord Darth Maul searched everywhere, studying the people, for the faces of either Obi-Wan, Qui-Gon or the Queen. Little did the Zabrak know, that there was one individual with the three that would not allow that to happen.

At the hangar, Vader turned his head right, as he sensed looming darkness. The former-Sith frowned, knowing the source.

"Darth Maul. It's been a while, you will pay for killing my father and to-be-sister-in-law, and hurting my brother." Vader mumbled, making sure no-one heard. He was referring to Qui-Gon, Duchess Satine and Obi-Wan in the sentence respectively. The former-Sith believed that Satine would have married Obi-Wan had it been not for Maul killing her later on.

He would make sure those three events did not play out. He did not want Qui-Gon killed, despite any argument they had.

It's the least he could do for the man who's memory had been disgraced by Anakin Skywalker turning into Darth Vader.

I'll end the chapter here and put the Pod-Race into one chapter. So, the next chapters going to be the race. And the last statement Vader said, about his father and to-be-sister-in-law being killed by Maul, that was merely the Anakin side of him being more prominent. Anakin regarded to Qui-Gon as a father and Duchess Satine as one would to their brother's girlfriend/future wife. Hopefully that explains that. Bye!